Trump gets Supreme Court nod for voter citizenship checks weeks before midterms

The US Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to use a controversial federal database to help states check the citizenship status of registered voters, handing President Donald Trump a victory in his broader effort to increase federal involvement in election administration ahead of the midterm elections.The court's conservative majority lifted restrictions on the Trump administration's use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) programme, which allows officials to verify citizenship and immigration information.Critics have questioned the reliability of the data, warning that the system could result in US citizens being wrongly flagged or removed from voter rolls.The ruling came after a federal judge in June found the expanded use of the system illegal and said it violated Americans' privacy rights.